Leveling device



' LEVELING DEVICE Filed Feb.' 16, 1956 FREDf/P/cfr f. HAGA/5f? /f/.S'ATTORNEY United States Patent O 1 2,826,823 LEVELING DEVICE Frederick H. Hagner, San Antonio, Tex.' Application February 16, 1956, Serial No. 565,928 1 Claim. (Cl. 33 206) This invention relates to a leveling device, and has for one of its objects the production of a simple and eicient device which may be used to determine whether or not an article which it abuts is level or plumb.

A further object of this invention is the production of a simple and efficient leveling device which may be attached to a conventional carpenters level when the spirit level breaks, or which may be conveniently used in hanging pictures to determine whether or not the picture is straight in relation to the supporting wall.

Another object of this invention is the production of a simple and eicient leveling device wherein a free rolling ball is employed within a circular casing to indicate the low point of the object being leveled.

Other objects and advantages ofthe present invention will appear throughout the following specication and claim.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the device in aposition to determine whether or not a support is level;

Figure 2 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view taken on line 2--2 of Figure 1, the support being shown in dotted lines; y

Figure 3 is a front elevational view showing the device in a position to determine whether or not a support is plumb. f

By referring to the drawing in detail it will be seen that 10 designates a at plate whichl preferably is ymade of transparent plastic, or other suitable material. This plate 10 preferably is provided with a plurality of spaced transversely extending ribs 11 upon the bottom face thereof. These ribs 11 preferably are curved transversely in cross section to support the plate 10 above the top surface of a support 12 with minimum contact to permit light to pass under the plate 10 with the support to prevent the plate 10 from sticking to the support.

The plate 10 is provided with a hollow casing 13, preferably circular in shape. The hollow casing 13 is placed in the center of the plate 10, which plate 10 preferably is rectangular in shape and is provided with pin receiving apertures 14 near its ends bisecting the ribs 11, as shown. Pins 15 preferably are'passed through the apertures 14 to anchor the level when desired to a support.

The casing 13 may consist of an outer band or ring 16 constituting the side wall of the casing, and a top cover disc 17, both of which preferably are formed of transparent plastic. The'band or ring 16 is preferably fixed to the top face of the plate 10, and the cover disc 17 is preferably lixed kto thetop of the band or ring 16 to anchor the parts together. A lining band or ring 18 is preferably fixed to the inner face of the band Yor ring 16, and for a little more than one-half of its circumference is scalloped as indicated at 19, to retard the rolling action of the ball 20 hereinafter described.

The upper face of the plate 10 within the area of the casing 13 is provided with a dished or'curved concave surface 21 from the periphery of the band or ring 18, in the form shown to the exact center of the point 22, which point 22 is etched or otherwise formed, and is preferably slightly depressed. A free rolling ball 20 formed of suitable material, metal or otherwise, is carried in the casing 13, and when the plate 10 is in a horizontal position the ball 20 will freely roll upon the concave surface 21 until the level position of the plate 10 causes the ball 20 to come to rest. When the support 12 is in a level position,

Patented Mar. 18, 1958 as shown in Figure 1, the ball 20 rests upon the exact center point 22, thereby indicating that the plate 10 is level. The cover or cover plate 17 is provided upon its inner face with an etched or otherwise formed circle 23, encircling the exact center of the casing and located above the center point 22.

Preferably directly under the dished or concave surface twenty-two radial angle indicating lines 24 are formed by moulding oretching the same upon or in the plate 10. A center or 0 line is indicated as V, and the areabetween the outer angle lines upon either side of the center line are designated as a 45 angle with the intermediate spaces indicating the intermediate angles, as shown in Figures l and 2. These lines 24 are located on the opposite side of the band or ring 18 relative to the center point 22 so that the ball 20 may be free to roll upon the band or ring 18 when the plate 10 is in a vertical position, shown in Figure 2, until the ball 20 comes to rest over the center line marked V, thereby indicating that the abutting article A is plumb.

It should be noted that the position of the ball 20 in the casing or container 13, indicates the low point of the object being leveled. The present device is particularly handy for leveling stoves, refrigerators, washers, shelves, desks, etc., and may be easily carried in a pocket to replace the conventional spirit level.

When the V-line is in the center of the ball 20, as shown in Figure 3, the object A against which the plate rests is vertical or plumb. Each of the lines 4 upon opposite sides of the V center line represents 15 from the vertical or plumb, and any suitable number of lines may be used within the scope of the invention. Should a carpenters spirit level break, the present level may be quickly attached to the body of the level by means of pins passing through the'apertures 14. A new handy pocket-size leveling device, having many applications, is provided through the medium of the present invention.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new is:

As a new article of manufacture, a leveling device comprising a fiat elongated transparent plate having a plurality of spaced transversely extending ribs upon the bottom face thereof, said ribs having minimum contact with a supporting surface upon which the leveling device rests to prevent the plate from sticking to a support, a hollow transparent casing carried centrally of the outer face of said plate, a freely movable ball leveling means carried in said casing, said casing having an index and indicating means to indicate the rest position of said ball leveling means relative to a selected true horizontal position and a true vertical position of said leveling device to facilitate the true position of a support with which said device contacts, said ribs holding said plate above a support to facilitate thepassage of light under said plate to facilitate the reading of the position of said leveling means and lalso to facilitate the shifting of the position of the device from place to place upon a support as well as to facilitate the picking up of the device from a flat surfaced support.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

